Granville Allen was the first Kentucky Union soldier to have died in combat during the war in a skirmish on October 29, 1861. A Kentucky GAR Post named after Private Allen dedicated a memorial plaque to him; a drawing of it is shown above.

On October 27, 1861, Union forces in Owensboro received word of Confederate troop advancements in the Green River area. Shortly after, Union infantry and cavalry units intercepted a Confederate reconnaisance mission in Woodbury. The Union cavalry positioned itself for attack but withdrew to Cromwell's Ferry, fearing Confederate reinforcements. Butler County residents engage in the Woodbury Skirmish Re-enactment every year. The reenactment has been expanded to include more events and will be referred to as Granville Allen Days. These events will be held in the City Park on October 11 and 12, 2003.[Civil War in Kentucky]

The Granville Allen grave site is in a rural area of Ohio County called "Arnold". It is in the far east end of the county. The cemetery is named the "Arnold/Leach Cemetery". In Morgantown there is a monument carved out of the side of a rock wall. The monument marks the spot where Granville Allen was killed. It was carved out I believe just before 1900. It was done by some of the local Civil War veterans that were members of the "Granville Allen GAR Post", there in Morgantown. [Barry Goodall]

Photo by Barry Goodall

Photo by Barry Goodall

The Granville Allen Memorial was erected by fellow 17th Kentucky Regiment members of Granville Allen in 1894. This memorial was cut into the face of a rock wall that was located on the side of the "Old Logansport Road". This location is just yards away from where Granville Allen was killed during the "Skirmish at Big Hill", just outside Morgantown Kentucky. The monument was intentionally selected on the roadside to assure that anyone riding back and forth from Logansport to Morgantown would surely never forget what took place at "Big Hill". Granville Allen was to become the first Kentucky Soldier to be killed in action on his own native soil, October 29, 1861. Notice the "Old Logansport Road" in the foreground in front of the monument. [Barry Goodall]

 
Sources:
A Hundred Miles
Emails of Barry Goodall 2006
www Civil War in Kentucky
(http://www.10000trails.com/WKY/civilwar/region2/morgtown.htm)